Free passport delivery service commences

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has commenced a home and office passport delivery service for applicants, in collaboration with Ghana Post and local courier firm, Troskit. 

The initiative, which forms part of the six new policy initiatives outlined and implemented by the ministry this year, officially took off last Friday, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, personally delivering the travel document to some applicants within Accra.

The free passport delivery initiative aims to ensure that applicants receive their passports within 15 days of application outlined as part of the new policy reforms at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prevent queues at the various passport offices to eliminate the services of middlemen.

Commitment

The Minister of Foreign Affairs said he joined the delivery team to attest to the services being rendered by the courier services in delivering the passports to applicants.

Mr Ablakwa affirmed that the new services demonstrated the ministry’s commitment to ensuring that applicants did not have to hustle to acquire the travel document.

“Ghanaian passport applicants are no longer required to go back to the passport application centre for their passports.

We have introduced peculiar services, making sure that passports are securely and timely delivered to the comfort of the homes or offices of applicants,” he said.

The minister expressed satisfaction at the delivery service, saying, “I am really satisfied with the delivery today.

Ghanaians are receiving their passports stress-free, no frustration, no middleman”. 

Mr Ablakwa emphasised that the free passport delivery was going to put an end to uncollected passports, adding that uncollected passports due to frustration and bureaucracy at the ministry was about 70,000 when he took over office.

He commended the Ghana Post for its professionalism in the delivery of the passports to applicants.

“I want to commend the Ghana Post; they are doing a great job. I like their professionalism.

The riders are always smiling and keeping a good attitude towards recipients.

The One Time Pin/Passwords (OTPs) are working.

The packaging is very good; it’s waterproof and fireproof. I am really happy this is the endpoint of the new reform,” Mr Ablakwa said.

The three recipients, who said it was an honour for the Minister of Foreign Affairs to deliver the travel document to them, also expressed satisfaction with the reform in the passport acquisition process.

Efe Ankrah, an employee of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), who received the passport at the FDA Head Office in Accra on behalf of her daughter, Nhyira Nana Akua Ntim Bempah, lauded the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ghana Post for the effort, saying “we have improved as a country”.

She said the free delivery service was an innovative reform that must be commended, and implored the ministry’s Passport Service and the Ghana Post to keep it up to ease the difficulties Ghanaians usually went through in acquiring a passport.

Doreen Klutse, who also received her passport at the Ghana Library Authority Head Office in Accra, expressed excitement at the new development, stating that it was convenient and also unbelievable that she did not pay any delivery fee.Also receiving his passport at the Maestro Plaza on the Kotobabi Main Road, Accra, Abdul Razak Osumanu said the reform was a testament that Ghana was being reset by the new government.He expressed gratitude to the minister for the timely reform and urged his office to continue introducing innovative policies at the ministry to address the needs of Ghanaians.

Source: Pacome Emmanuel Damalie